


Curious Combatant

by ActFast231



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Battle, Gen, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:15:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24588193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ActFast231/pseuds/ActFast231
Summary: Short story involving a Hunter sating their curiosity of an underground Fallen arena.
Kudos: 5





	Curious Combatant

If any of her fellows from the Tower were here, they might ask things like “Wow Paragon, how the hell did you get yourself caught in an underground Fallen combat arena?” or “Why were you snooping around an illicit combat arena in the first place?”. All excellent questions, of course, to which the Exo’s only response would be “I got curious”. That would be leaving out the fact that she started out trying to sneak her way in, only to immediately get caught. Though she could have fought her way out of the situation, it was the very same intrigue that led her here, that also gave her the idea to allow herself to be taken captive, that they might put her in the arena to fight.

It goes without saying that she was right, and not a day in captivity was she was pulled from her cell, and forced into the ring. The battlefield wasn’t massive, by any stretch of the imagination, built to serve close quarters combat, rather than any gunfights. The terrain consisted only of a handful of rocky ledges, and the metal walling - combined with some energy fields for viewing purposes - that contained them. The stands hanging just behind those barriers were filled with a variety of Fallen spectators. Or Eliksni, if one preferred. Actually, she was fairly certain she could see a few Psions in the crowd, curiously enough. Guess not every Red Legion remnant took up a revenge quest against humanity.

Announcements were made over a speaker system, though Paragon’s Eliksni wasn’t the best. ‘Dead thing’ was a phrase she caught, as that was a name many of their kind referred to Guardians as. Beside that, all she gleaned from the loudspeaker was something about bets, and limbs detaching. It was only when she heard a voice address her directly, in a language she actually understood.

“Do not disappoint, Lightbearer.” Came the sneering voice of a Captain to her left, just behind the barriers. “This is a fight of skill. No Light, or there will be consequences.” That threat was punctuated by the sight of an arm rising to display Paragon’s Ghost, the poor gal stunned in an Arc web. Setting her down nearby, the Captain’s next move was a gesture to one of the upper stands, to which the response was a Dreg tossing something into the arena.

Landing with a dull clatter at her feet was what looked to be one of the lances the Fallen were prone to using. Well, at least they gave her a weapon. They also let her keep her Hunter armor on, although that might have been the result of nobody wanting to try and take it off of her. Lucky for her, she had an affinity for these things. Well, more specifically, she had training in using a staff, but how different could that be from a lance? Scooping the weapon up off the dirt, she gripped it in both hands, giving it some quick test swipes. Balance was kind of weird, but she could work with this.

Or at least, she hoped so. She wouldn’t have to wait long to find out, as she saw the gate across from her open up, making way for her first opponent. And who should she face but a Cabal Gladiator, the remnants of crimson armor still hugging his beefy frame as he lumbered out, two massive cleavers held in each hand. Hell of a first opponent, but size only went so far, in the Hunter’s experience.

Well he wasted no time kicking things off. With little ceremony, the brute came barreling towards her, aiming to bring those two massive slabs of steel down upon her head with a leaping strike. Paragon leapt out of the way, the bottom of her foot just glancing off the side. Rolling back into a standing position, the faster Exo took no time rushing in to punish the rhino's blind aggression with a downward slash across his side. With a deft twirl, she brought the bladed lance down onto her opponent, who had not yet recovered from his own massive swing. 

Guttural roars filled the arena, much in the same way that Cabal blood now filled a few cracks in the rocky earth beneath them. Seems she got a good hit, though that was likely thanks to the only armor this freak wore being on his arms and chest. He wasn’t done, however, as the pain and injury brought about a blind rage. With a vicious snarl, he tucked down and charged forward, an advance Paragon attempted to halt with an upward strike this time around. Despite cutting across his face, the gladiator would not be deterred as it brought a shoulder forward to ram into the mechanical woman.

To nobody’s surprise, the blow sent her crashing against the far wall, the metal panel she collided with now sporting an Exo-sized dent in the side. It didn’t take a master of perception to realize how much that hurt, yet Paragon had little time to recover from that agony in her  _ everything.  _ The wall of meat that was her enemy of the day was still looking to smash her into a pile of grotesque scrap metal.

This time, she would see a massive foot rising above her, looking to stomp her chest cavity into a new serving tray. With lance held close, she rolled out of the way, wincing as she heard some stones disintegrate under that loud smash. The next thing she caught was a heavy blade looking to succeed where the boot had failed, yet this time Paragon had gotten herself up enough to make an attempt at a counter to the Cabal’s rage. With a nimble movement, she hopped back as her hypothetical demise tore into the earth, a motion that was joined by her lance also swinging down at where she once was.

Turns out that announcer would soon be right about the limbs part, as the sharpened edge of her weapon buried itself into her foe’s wrist. More deafening screams boomed out from the beast, made worse by what the Hunter did next. The long handle was released, affording her enough mobility to duck beneath those massive legs, reaching around to his backside. Tucking in her own legs tight, she kicked forward like a loaded spring, the blow delivered behind the knee to force him forward. 

Rolling back and onto her feet, she was delighted to see that he had instinctively brought his hands forward to catch himself, giving the war machine the window she hoped for. One hop up onto his back was swiftly followed by a second leap, which brought her boots down into the top of the Fallen lance still embedded in the warrior’s arm. The force of her landing did exactly what she expected, the blade screeching down through the rest of his flesh and bone, rending his hand off completely. 

She hadn’t been paying attention until now, but through the anguished, hateful screams of her enemy, was the thrilled cheering of their audience. They were certainly getting their money’s worth with this fight. The strange cocktail of pride and disgust that bubbled in Paragon threw her off just long enough for the dismembered gladiator to retaliate. His remaining hand took her ankles in a fierce hold, before throwing her back into the other wall with a cry of molten hate.

Fortunately, despite being initially caught off guard, she had the presence of mind to tuck herself in, angling her side towards the point of collision. Still hurt like hell when she created a second dent in a heavy crash of steel, but it limited the damage as much as was possible. As the Guardian forced herself back up once more, she glanced back to the stand to see that this was the side her Ghost was held captive… and in that moment, an idea came to mind.   
  
With the best smirk an Exo could manage, she faced the the former Red Legionnaire, before making a mock gesture with her right hand, looking to taunt him on his recently divorced limb. He didn’t need much encouragement to bull rush towards her, rational thought all but lost to him among his wounds. Paragon stepped over so that she was just in front of that big dent she had made already…

… Before diving out of the way, much like she did at the beginning of the battle. Instead of smearing her robotic bits across the arena, the burly fighter managed to blast straight through the defenses laid around the battlefield, ripping through the stands before coming to a thunderous halt. All too easy, she thought to herself in self satisfaction.

Needless to say, but a massive, bleeding, blood-raging Cabal breaking into the audience did wonders for inciting panic and sowing chaos among everyone present. Which created the perfect opportunity for Paragon to make her escape. She positively flew through the whole created, finding little difficulty in kicking her way past the stunned handler that spoke to her before, in order to grab her locked down Ghost. 

By the time she had what she needed, the beast had fumbled back out of the whole, still wildly flailing and striking at anything around him. It was more luck than skill that she managed to avoid catching a stray backhand as she ducked through the hole that was made, stepping past all the thick rubble and broken bodies of spectators that got a little closer to the action than they’d have liked.

She could still hear the ambient sound of anarchy as she created distance between herself and that arena, before promptly ripping the webbing off of her Ghost. Though the little construct was dazed for a little while, her Guardian quickly brought her up to speed. As her story came to an end, only one response was given, as she transmitted them both out of the area, and back to the ship that awaited them in orbit:

“I’m happy you were able to sate your curiosity… don’t ever do that again.”


End file.
